(1) Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of automatic dispensers and, more specifically, to an automatic toothpaste dispensing apparatus.
(2) Background
Toothpaste dispensers are well known in the art. Many existing toothpaste dispensers are in the form of simple tubes that dispense toothpaste when users manually squeeze the tubes. Alternatively, some toothpaste dispensers exist in a pump form. Using a pump dispenser, a user can manually dispense the toothpaste by depressing a lever on the pump.
Such forms of toothpaste dispensers are not user-friendly because they require a person to grip and squeeze a tube or pump. As such, dispensers that require the manual dispensing of toothpaste may be difficult to operate for people with arthritis or with a small amount of hand strength.
Additionally, traditional tube and pump toothpaste dispensers are often messy. It is easy to squeeze a tube of toothpaste or pump a toothpaste dispenser with an incorrect amount of pressure (or for an incorrect length of time) so that an incorrect amount of toothpaste dispenses on or about the toothbrush. Also, traditional forms of tube and pump toothpaste dispensers often come with caps that become messy and covered with toothpaste. The toothpaste in the dispenser may also dry out if a person accidentally leaves the cap off of the toothpaste dispenser. Thus, existing toothpaste dispensers are inconvenient because they are both messy and difficult to handle.
On the other hand, an automatic toothpaste dispenser that can dispense toothpaste without manual operation, because of its ease of use, can encourage children and adults to brush their teeth more often. In this respect, automatic toothpaste dispensers will promote oral hygiene and better health.
Another setback of traditional toothpaste dispensers is that they are not aesthetically pleasing. The tubes or pumps, often covered with toothpaste, do not add to but rather detract from the décor of the bathroom.
Therefore, what is needed is an aesthetically pleasing, automatic toothpaste dispenser that can dispense a correct amount of toothpaste with ease and without making a mess.